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Topic: flags and locations (Read 8316 times) previous topic - next topic
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flags and locations

A thing that has been bothering me for some time: people who setup the forum software to display a flag, often don't enter any info about their location. My knowledge of this world's flags is limited, but I am curious where the other people here come from, since we have such a nice diversity here. Browsing through hundreds of little flag icons somewhere on the web, just to find the one that's matching, isn't fun. I assume that, if someone wishes to display his flag, he is interested to let others know where he lives. Maybe it also isn't logical that you can choose your flag but enter whatever you want in the location field. Instead, one would expect that if he chooses a flag, the location info would be automatically adjusted accordingly. I guess this automation would be the job for the invision developers.

So I just ask this: please, if you setup your flag, also enter where you live! Thank you!

flags and locations

Reply #1
Well, my flag means Denmark. If you're in doubt about what a flag means, rightclick it, and click properties. Now you'll see the filename of the flag, which usually matches the country it represents.

flags and locations

Reply #2
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So I just ask this: please, if you setup your flag, also enter where you live! Thank you!

Yep, thats what i've done as it bugged me too! In fact i was just about to type the very same thing in a new post, and it's been on my mind for weeks, so strange someone did it literally minutes before me!!!!


BTY, where is "Old Europe"?  Maybe your being generic, or maybe im ignorant and it holds some significance?


Cheers,

Kritstian

flags and locations

Reply #3
In my case, I use the flag to tell where I am from, and where I live; and I use the location to tell where I am.

flags and locations

Reply #4
Why must everything be served on a plate these days? 
It's a refresh of the memory, useless as it may be...

flags and locations

Reply #5
@MadiZone: the properties thing is a good tip!

@kritip: maybe we saw the same post by some guy from strangeland who only showed his strangeflag? "Old Europe" is the term that Donald Rumsfeld used when he was talking about France and Germany some time ago. I myself come from Germany (but I won't put up any flag because the icons bother me and I don't want to foster what I dislike, but since many people seem to like the flags, I won't argue). I consider putting "Old Europe" into my location a form of protest.

@rjamorim: I guess that's valid  But I'd never have known, because I don't know either Chile's or Brazil's flag.

@HansHeijden: I wouldn't consider this to be "serving on a plate". I don't want to do a pop-quiz about flags when I want to be concentrating on the forum.

flags and locations

Reply #6
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I don't know either Chile's or Brazil's flag.

Close your eyes, try to remember the final of last year's soccer world championship. Got a picture in front of you? Now substract your own country's flag, what's left is Brazil .
Let's suppose that rain washes out a picnic. Who is feeling negative? The rain? Or YOU? What's causing the negative feeling? The rain or your reaction? - Anthony De Mello

flags and locations

Reply #7
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@kritip: maybe we saw the same post by some guy from strangeland who only showed his strangeflag? "Old Europe" is the term that Donald Rumsfeld used when he was talking about France and Germany some time ago. I myself come from Germany (but I won't put up any flag because the icons bother me and I don't want to foster what I dislike, but since many people seem to like the flags, I won't argue). I consider putting "Old Europe" into my location a form of protest.

[ATTEMPT AT LIGHT HUMOR]
Ah, indeed, i actually met up with the stranger from strange land and he took me over to strange country  and showed me his strange flag! LOL    Didn't really care for the whole expereince though, a little to strange for me!
[/ATTEMPT AT LIGHT HUMOR]

Cheers for the explanation of "Old Europe" though. I myself am not a big fan of the flags but i feel if have a better understanding of where a person is from, i can better relate to them or help them. There people from some countries who have a lesser understanding of English or who may ave a particular sensetivity to certain topics  and questions, not so much here, but certainly on other sites where conversation can vary about pretty much anything, and i really don't like offending or upsetting people.
That's the reasoning behind showing my flag, along with my location as i don't feel the need to mask my identity in any way.
Cheers,

Kristian

flags and locations

Reply #8
Heh, I quite frequently find myself rightclicking on flags that are 'exotic' to me. It doesn't bugs me, really, it is phun.
Most of them I can recognize without hints, anyway. So I could do some flag-quiz right now...

For some reason I always thought of flags here as nationality. Location is that extra info which generally doesn't tell you much, like wth on the globe it might be. B)
I'd prefer to have timezone displayed instead (or additionally)...

Just my 2 estonian cents.

flags and locations

Reply #9
Old Europe?
地獄

flags and locations

Reply #10
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Location is that extra info which generally doesn't tell you much, like wth on the globe it might be. B)

I think you're missing out on the fun    As most of the world knows, America is also know as the 'Great Satan'.  Given my dislike of the government, I state my location as you currently see it.  I don't really think America is the 'Great Satan', though.


[span style='font-size:8pt;line-height:100%']If anyone ever says that America is the Great Satan, I will troll you to your doom!  You have been warned:-)[/span]

flags and locations

Reply #11
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Quote
Location is that extra info which generally doesn't tell you much, like wth on the globe it might be. B)

I think you're missing out on the fun    As most of the world knows, America is also know as the 'Great Satan'.  Given my dislike of the government, I state my location as you currently see it.  I don't really think America is the 'Great Satan', though.


[span style='font-size:8pt;line-height:100%']If anyone ever says that America is the Great Satan, I will troll you to your doom!  You have been warned:-)[/span]

Don't you kind of think that your location field perpetuates the very idea that you (apparently) dislike/disagree with?

flags and locations

Reply #12
Location: Where I am/live at the moment
Flag: Where I am from / mother tongue
"To understand me, you'll have to swallow a world." Or maybe your words.

flags and locations

Reply #13
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Don't you kind of think that your location field perpetuates the very idea that you (apparently) dislike/disagree with?

Good question.  As you probably know, Satan means 'adversary' (usually the adversary of God, but not in the way I am using the word).  It's true that the Middle East generally sees America and Americans as the Great Satan.  Westerners (and I), on the other hand, generally see the American Government as the Great Satan.  I am also referring to something else, although I did not state this earlier.  If you do a search for 'the great satan' on Google, you'll see that the first reference is not to America, but to Micro$oft.  Micro$oft is the reason I have appended the trademark symbol at the end of Satan. 

I find that if people believe in something strongly enough, they will believe in it, no matter what you say.  The war thread is a good example of this.  Given that the audience of this site is primarily of the Western World, I am perpetuating ideas that I agree with.  If the audience of this site was primarily Eastern, I would be perpetuating ideas that I do not agree with.  So, the answer to your question at this time is no, but could be subject to change.

flags and locations

Reply #14
I opted for my flag as an avatar, but that was before the little flags were introduced with the board software I believe.
I'm also keen on displaying my countries flag, as I'm English I dont see an option for that (except the Union Jack and I dont want that) 

flags and locations

Reply #15
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Good question.  As you probably know, Satan means 'adversary' (usually the adversary of God, but not in the way I am using the word).  It's true that the Middle East generally sees America and Americans as the Great Satan.  Westerners (and I), on the other hand, generally see the American Government as the Great Satan.  I am also referring to something else, although I did not state this earlier.  If you do a search for 'the great satan' on Google, you'll see that the first reference is not to America, but to Micro$oft.  Micro$oft is the reason I have appended the trademark symbol at the end of Satan. 

There is also a good Satan. He plays in the NHL and is from Slovakia (just like me). 

flags and locations

Reply #16
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As most of the world knows, America is also know as the 'Great Satan'

Man, you are talking about many people and many countries. As most of the world knows, America is not only USA, it's much more. Even North America is more than USA.
And I don't think "America" is the 'Great Satan', neither. Maybe a few persons in your goverment (and in others, like here).
Peace for everybody, please.
Regards.

flags and locations

Reply #17
Do you mean the continent? Indeed, America is a bad used word, they should always say "United States of America", and for people maybe "United States American"?

Imagine if there was a country in Europe called "Unified Kingdoms of Europe", and the people there would simply call themselves "Europeans", and the country "Europe"... Do you feel what i feel now?

History can be cruel, sometimes... I wonder if it matters or means something to anyone at all?.
She is waiting in the air

flags and locations

Reply #18
America is America.  Cry about it.
地獄

flags and locations

Reply #19
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Man, you are talking about many people and many countries. As most of the world knows, America is not only USA, it's much more. Even North America is more than USA.
And I don't think "America" is the 'Great Satan', neither. Maybe a few persons in your goverment (and in others, like here).

As a Canadian, when ever I hear "American", I think "United States of American". Most of my Canadian friends automatically assume that "American" is what I think it is, unless context says that it's referring to the inhabitants of the American continents.

As for location, well... *boggles* I've left out my street address so the stalkers won't kill me. 

flags and locations

Reply #20
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Don't you kind of think that your location field perpetuates the very idea that you (apparently) dislike/disagree with?

Quote

Good question.  As you probably know, Satan means 'adversary' (usually the adversary of God, but not in the way I am using the word).



_Random_ I would like to see you point out where in the dictionary that satan means adversary. Adversary could be an antagonist, enemy,
or even anti-hero. But satan and the connotation that is carries is something much more than something than a simple adversarial nature.
It speaks to something much more sinister like the embodiment of absolute evil.

Quote
It's true that the Middle East generally sees America and Americans as the Great Satan.  Westerners (and I), on the other hand, generally
see the American Government as the Great Satan.


Um no. I may not like dubya. I may think that much of what dubya does is dubious. But if even one forth of the reports of what Saddam does to
his own people is true I don't see how you can "see" dubya or the governmant as a whole as the great satan. That is a broad sweeping statement
that besmirches the good names of all those who do good in the governemnt which is obviously more than you think.

Quote
I am also referring to something else, although I did not state this earlier.  If you do a search for 'the great satan' on Google, you'll
see that the first reference is not to America, but to Micro$oft.  Micro$oft is the reason I have appended the trademark symbol at the end
of Satan.


You might want to clarrify that from now on then. I would not have guessed that.

Quote
I find that if people believe in something strongly enough, they will believe in it, no matter what you say.  The war thread is a good
example of this.


That may be true but I don't think there are any people like that here. And even in the war thread I don't think you could find people like that.  The international sceen may be getting caught up on points like bush and oil which I agree could be a problem. But at some point they will have to look past that at the bigger picture. And I trust that they will. There has already begun questioning of France's over simplistic anti-american anti-war chanting in many places in the international community.

Quote
Given that the audience of this site is primarily of the Western World, I am perpetuating ideas that I agree with.  If
the audience of this site was primarily Eastern, I would be perpetuating ideas that I do not agree with.  So, the answer to your question
at this time is no, but could be subject to change.


Perhaps the site is aimed at the western world. Although I have a hard time buying that. But the majority of active posters come from
countries international and not America alone. Don't forget or ignore them.

flags and locations

Reply #21
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America is America.  Cry about it.

No, cry about poor Iraq civillians.

Anyway, I live in Poland and we here have another president that is dumb enough
to support war. (Ave Bush! :x )

<edit>
Anybody has a statistics of flag selections?
</edit>
I've changed only because of myself.
Remember, when you quote me, you're quoting AstralStorm.
(read: this account is dead)

flags and locations

Reply #22
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America is America. Cry about it.

Yes. And football is football. 
Well, only a geographical meditation:
America is not a country. America is a continent, at least for now. USA is a big country, but some people there are thinking "WE ARE AMERICA". Brasil is not America? Argentina is not America? Alaska is America, but Canada is not America? Mexicans are not North Americans? Is USA alone in America?.
Maybe we should ask it to Cristobal Colon or Americo Vespucio.
Regards.

flags and locations

Reply #23
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Quote
America is America.  Cry about it.

No, cry about poor Iraq civillians.


Yes I know. What Saddam has done and what his troops now do in his name is despicable. Using them as human shields and forcing men and women under durres to commit suicide to save their loved ones and raise the civilian death count against coalition troops. And yet people would rather stop the war and let these people continue to rule over the Iraqi citizens. I pray that the war not last any longer than it has to and that their suffering under Saddam will soon be over.

flags and locations

Reply #24
I'm from the land of the great Santa™